Tag Archives: Evo Stik League Division 1 North

Lancaster City finished 2016 on a high with a comfortable victory over Burscough tonight thanks to goals from strikers Jordan Connerton and Louis Mayers.

The Dolly Blues took the lead in the first minute, with Jordan Connerton heading home from a pinpoint Billy Akrigg corner.

Just moments later, Connerton’s strike partner Louis Mayers attempted to double the hosts’ lead with two shots going just wide.

It was Lancaster’s number nine who doubled their lead, with his second goal of the night. The experienced centre forward took advantage of the loose ball following a great cross from Oliver Crolla and some poor defending from Burscough to volley the ball into the bottom-right corner in the ninth minute.

The action continued to be in the away team’s half as Phil Brown’s side pushed for a third. Louis Mayers’ flick off the end of Winder’s cross was cleared off the line, and Mayers also forced Cheetham into a save which he lost control of and it hit the post in the 20th minute.

Mayers got what he deserved four minutes later, as he extended Lancaster’s lead. He cut past the full back with ease, and he placed the ball in the bottom-right hand corner beating the keeper.

Winder almost made it four for the Dolly Blues, forcing Cheetham into a great save to the right thanks to the winger’s powerful shot just moments after the goal.

Whilst Nevitt came close for the away side with his shot going just wide on the end of the corner in the 35th minute, Burscough’s keeper was there to make a great stop up at the other end with Cheetham denying Mayers with his legs.

Burscough reduced the deficit just before half time, with the goal coming directly from a corner. Conor Smith curled the ball into the box and it found its way into the top-right corner without a touch from any other players. It was 3-1 at half time.

Lancaster dominated the majority of the second half creating many chances but they didn’t take them.

Craig Carney’s long range shot was pushed wide by the keeper five minutes in, and in the 66th minute Connerton was denied his hat-trick by the crossbar.

The Dolly Blues’ best chance of the half came in added time, when Craig Carney found himself in acres of space in the box and his shot was stopped only by the keeper’s body.

The win means that Lancaster City end 2016 top of the Evo Stik League Division 1 North, level on points with Ossett Town but with two games in hand. Burscough sit bottom of the table on eleven points.

Up next for the Dolly Blues is Bamber Bridge at home on Monday whilst Burscough face Prescot Cables away from home.

Lancaster won for the first time in nearly a month today with a big win against fellow play-off hopefuls Ossett Albion in a game full of goals, as the scoreline suggests.

Phil Brown’s side made an excellent start to the game, as Zach Clark found himself one-on-one with Brett Souter in the Ossett goal. His first shot was saved by the legs of the keeper, but he soon netted the rebound without much opposition from the Ossett defence.

Just minutes later the away side grew into the game and looked very impressive going forward, making some quick passes and playing some free-flowing football. They came very close to equalising in the 11th minute when young right-back Declan Dawson hit a powerful shot from around forty yards out, hitting the cross bar and bouncing out. It had all but beat Mike Hale in the Lancaster goal.

Four minutes after Dawson’s spectacular shot, Ossett got the equaliser they’d been looking0 for after Connor Brunt found space and slotted the ball past Mike Hale six yards out.

Zach Clark almost restored the lead of the home side but his 22nd minute shot went just wide. The remainder of the first half was very evenly matched with both sides having chances, and consequently the two sides went in level at the break with it still all to play for in the second half.

City started the second half brightly, and had some early chances with Jacob Davis heading just over the bar following a Ryan Winder corner in the 52nd minute.

Five minutes later the home side took the lead for the second time of the day, after Billy Akrigg got past Ossett’s defence and rounded the keeper before slotting the ball into an open net.

Shortly afterwards City doubled their lead through striker Zach Clark, who shot from the left hand side just before going to ground.

The former Kendal man was looking hungry for goals, and got his hat trick in the 66th minute to extend the home side’s lead to three goals.

Clark wasn’t finished there though, as he found enough energy to score his fourth and Lancaster’s fifth of the game in the 82nd minute. Ossett struggled to contain the attacking threat that the striker posed for the majority of the game, and the body language of captain Danny South summed up Ossett’s day.

New signing Bobby Langford came on as a substitute and impressed in his first appearance for the Dolly Blues, scoring the final goal of the game in the 90th minute to give the City fans a good first impression.

Phil Brown’s side now sit in 9th, two points off the play-offs, and travel to Harrogate Railway next Saturday.

Lancaster suffered another blow to their play-off hopes with a defeat against mid-table Trafford.

Chris Palmer scored the only goal of the game to secure the three points for the Greater-Manchester side.

To start with the game was very end-to-end, with both sides having chances. Trafford had a corner after just three minutes, and Neil Marshall headed just over the bar off the end of a free kick in the twelfth minute.

Despite the game being even early on, Trafford soon emerged as the side looking more likely to take the lead. The visitors came close to doing just that in the 19th minute when Kyle Jacobs hit a very good shot from the edge of the box, which was heading in, but Mike Hale managed to get a hand on it to tip the ball over the bar.

City looked shaky at the back for the majority of the first half, and Trafford continued to dominate. They eventually took the lead in the 31st minute through Chris Palmer, who drilled a shot in the bottom left hand corner to beat Mike Hale in the City goal.

Billy Akrigg could’ve equalised for the home side soon after, but he failed to do so with Saunders making a simple save.

Trafford went in at the break deservedly leading 1-0.

Lancaster improved after the break and could’ve equalised three minutes into the second half through Billy Akrigg, but his shot went wide following a free kick.

Zach Clark came on as a substitute for Lancaster in the 67th minute, and he was quick to influence the game with an early shot going just wide of the goal.

There weren’t a great deal of chances in the second half, and Lancaster found themselves battling for an equaliser in the last ten minutes throwing bodies forward. Captain Neil Marshall connected with a powerful corner by Ryan Winder in the 83rd minute only for his shot to reach the hands of Russ Saunders easily in the Trafford goal.

Trafford’s only real chance of the second half came shortly afterwards with substitute Raul Correia shooting wide.

Lancaster continued to push for a goal, and they should’ve scored in the last minute of normal time as Zach Clark found himself with the ball just three yards out but he spent too long on the ball and he was tackled by a Trafford defender with fans of the Dolly Blues calling for a penalty.

Gavin Clark made a good run with the ball towards the box in the second minute of added time, but he failed to provide a finishing product as his shot went sailing over the bar.

Lancaster earned a corner in the last minute of added time, which keeper Mike Hale raced up for, but Ryan Winder’s corner was cleared off the line by a Trafford defender. Unfortunately for Phil Brown’s side, it wasn’t City’s day and they fell to their first loss of the month.